Method of playing a memory game and tile game for implementing this method

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a memory game provides for placing a plurality of tiles ( 1, 1 A) in a playing surface (G), said tiles ( 1, 1 A) so placed having a concealed face ( 2 ) marked with a matching playing indicator, the method comprising turning a first tile ( 1 ) of said plurality of tiles and depending on the indicator (K) marked on it, a number of tiles matching to the indicator marked on said first tile being sought, in order to find one or more tiles ( 1 ) matching said indicator and bearing the same indicator as the first tile. 
     The game comprises a plurality of tiles ( 1, 1 A) with opposite flat faces, on a first ( 2 ) of these faces an indicator (K) corresponding to a number of tiles to be sought in said plurality of tiles having the same indicator being marked, each group of tiles bearing the same indicator corresponding to a particular game score.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method and a game for implementing a memory tile game.

BACKGROUND

Various types of memory tile games are known, by the term tile meaning both usually rectangular polygonal elements, in paper or cardboard (the “cards”) and elements in plastic material. Tiles can, of course, also have a different shape, such as a circular shape.

Each tile has two flat faces, one of which usually shows a drawing, an image or a photograph, for example of an animal.

The game consists in placing all the tiles in a playing surface, the face which is provided with a drawing or image facing down that surface (and therefore concealed), in turning a first tile, seeing the image it shows and turning a second tile to check whether or not the images match. If the matching image is found, the player wins and takes the two tiles from the playing surface. If not, the tiles are turned face down again by the player to conceal their image, and play is passed to the next player or opponent or competitor. The positions of the previously turned tiles must be memorized by the players for their subsequent matching with the tiles having identical images.

Consequently, the game lasts as long as all pairs of matching tiles have been revealed and removed from the playing surface. Usually, therefore, the known memory games and the game methodologies related to them provide for the search for two pairing mages among a plurality of images marked on the tiles.

This type of game, however, may be restricted. An object of the present invention is to provide a memory game which can incite the players' attention for not being repetitive, but always challenging.

SUMMARY

In particular, an object of the invention is to provide a method of playing and a game based on memory and on remembering the position in the playing surface of tiles which have identical indicators, on one of their sides or faces, according to which not only pairs of tiles with matching indicators, but also a plurality of tiles, more than two, with matching indicators, must be sought, the finding of which leads to a higher game score.

Another object is to provide a method of playing and a memory game whose development, unlike the known memory games, is unpredictable.

These and other objects which will be evident to those skilled in the art are achieved by a method and a memory game according to the attached claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, the following drawings are attached purely by way of non-limiting example, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a first group of tiles of a game according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a second group of tiles of the game according to the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a third group of tiles of the game according to the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a fourth group of tiles of the game according to the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a fifth group of tiles of the game according to the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a sixth group of tiles of the game according to the invention; and

FIG. 7 shows a seventh group of tiles of the game according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the aforementioned figures, they represent some different types of tiles that can be used in the present invention. Generally, the game according to the invention comprises tiles 1 represented here with a circular shape, but which can also be made with a different shape. Each tile has two faces or sides, only one of which (indicated with 2) is visible in the figures; this face 2 bears an indicator K which is selected from a numerical indicator, a writing or a symbol indicating a playing action.

The numerical indicator indicates how many tiles with the same indicator must be sought from the plurality of tiles in a playing surface (indicated with G in FIG. 1 ) to get a game score; in one embodiment according to the present description, the number of tiles with the same numerical indicator to be sought is between two and four, but can also extend beyond four. This indicator can be a real number marked on face 2 of the tiles 1 or it can be a symbol, a geometric figure, a writing or other indicator which, by game definition, corresponds to a precise number.

For example, with reference to the figures, the tile 1 of FIG. 1 shows a square which, conventionally or by game definition, corresponds to number two. Thus, two tiles having a square on face 2 must be sought to get a game score.

The tiles of FIG. 2 have a triangle which conventionally represents number three. The tiles of FIG. 3 have a star which conventionally represents number four.

As mentioned, the indicators marked on face 2 of the tiles 1 can in any case be different from those shown in the figures and explicitly (because they show a number or a set of elements which on the whole, even counted, indicate a number) or conventionally correspond (as in the case of FIGS. 1-3 ) to numbers. This is relevant in the game methodology.

Furthermore, the tiles, in pairs, can have playing indicators or images on face 2, which are directly or conventionally (that is to say according to precise game instructions, for example written or annexed to the game) connected to the game mode of implementation.

For example, the game may comprise pairs of tiles 1A indicating that the opponents have to reverse the game direction, as in FIG. 4 (“REVERSE” tile). Or they may indicate an action of exchanging the tiles already picked up by another player from the playing surface (such as the pair of “SWAP” tiles in FIG. 5 ).

Other pairs of tiles (“TAKE”) may have an indicator on face 2 (clear or indicated according to a game agreement) that allows the player who picks them up from the playing surface to obtain what another player has accumulated up to that point of the game (FIG. 6 ) or to force the next player in the game direction to skip a game turn (FIG. 7 , “SKIP” tiles).

Obviously, the game comprises a plurality of tiles corresponding to those of the figures so as to make the game longer and more attractive for the players.

The modality (and thus the method according to the invention) with which the game is played are as follows. The game is played for example (but not necessarily) with seventy-two tiles of the type shown in FIGS. 1-7 and the goal of the game is to get the maximum score by picking up tiles with matching indicators from the playing surface. The totality of the tiles collected from this playing surface determines the definition of the winner: the winner is the participant who has achieved the highest score according to the tiles picked up from the playing surface; the tiles are picked up when, after turning a first tile, the player finds tiles with the matching indicator possibly and/or even remembering their position in the playing surface, since these tiles have been previously uncovered.

The game starts by placing the plurality of tiles in the playing surface, taking care not to make face 2 of tile 1, which rests in that surface, visible to the players. Several players participate in the game and play in turn according to a playing direction of selection (or rotation). For example, the youngest player starts and play passes to the adjacent player in a clockwise direction of the game. The first player turns a first tile and shows it to the other players. If the tile is

-   -   a) of the type of FIG. 1 (DOUBLE), the player turns a second         tile. If the indicators on the tiles matches, the player takes         two tiles from the playing surface.     -   b) of the type of FIG. 2 (TRIPLE), the player turns a second         tile from those in the playing surface and if this tile shows         the same indicator as the first turned tile, he or she can turn         a third tile. If this, too, shows the same indicator as the         other two, the player takes three tiles from the playing         surface.     -   c) of the type of FIG. 3 (POKER), the player turns a second tile         and if the indicator of this tile is identical to the first         tile, the player turns a third tile and if this is identical to         the other two, the player can turn a fourth tile. If this, too,         is identical to the others, the player takes four tiles from the         playing surface.

Obviously, if the player finds different tiles, he or she turns them both in order to bring their face 2 back to the playing surface. Play is then passed to the next player in a clockwise direction who plays in the way as described above (remembering the position of the tiles turned back over to conceal the indicator). The game ends when all the tiles 1 have been taken from the playing surface and the winner is the player who has achieved the highest game score calculated according to the value of the tiles collected, as described below.

As described, the tiles 1A can change the way the game is played. In fact, if a player finds a tile 1A indicating the reversal of the playing direction (REVERSE tile) and picks up another tile from the tiles in the playing surface with the matching indicator that identifies the inversion of the direction of rotation of the players (clockwise direction, for example), the playing rotation is reversed. If two tiles 1A that show the indicator corresponding to “SWAP” are turned, the player who has found these tiles can exchange the tiles already in his or her possession with those of any other player, but without being able to know the game score corresponding to these tiles.

In the event that the found tiles 1A are of the “TAKE” type (that is to say with indicators corresponding to this action), the player who has found them can take the tiles of any other player, without knowing the corresponding game score.

Similarly, if a player finds two tiles with the indicator “SKIP”, the direction of the playing rotation remains the same, but the next player skips his or her turn.

The game described also provides different scores for the different tiles 1: for example, the DOUBLE tiles have an overall score of two points; the TRIS tiles have an overall score of five points and the POKER tiles have an overall score of ten points.

Therefore the indicators marked on the tiles 1 only indicate how many tiles with the same indicator must be sought from the plurality of tiles in the playing surface so that they can all be taken from the playing surface; these indicators may obviously not necessarily correspond to the game score relating to said tiles. For example, by collecting three TRIS tiles the player gets five game points.

A game according to the invention is therefore very dynamic and challenging. 

1. A method of playing a memory game comprising a) placing a plurality of tiles in a playing surface, said tiles being flat and having a first face facing said playing surface so as to be hidden from a plurality of players, b) turning a first tile of said plurality of tiles to read an indicator marked on said first face of the turned tile, said indicator corresponding to a number greater than or equal to two, c) turning a second tile bearing a second indicator, from said plurality of tiles arranged in the playing surface, d) if this second indicator is different from the first indicator, turning both the first and second tile so that their first face is brought back downward the playing surface, if these indicators match, alternatively taking these first and second tile from the playing surface if the indicators correspond to number two or turning another tile and checking if its indicator matches that of the first and second tile, e) these actions of tile turning and checking ending when the last tile alternately turned bears an indicator different from those of the previously turned tiles or when the indicator on the last tile turned matches the previously turned tiles and corresponds to the maximum number of tiles that can be turned consecutively in the playing surface according to the indicators marked on the plurality of tiles.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a different game score is envisaged based on the indicators marked on the tiles (1).
 3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the following playing actions are envisaged: changing the playing sequence by the plurality of players, taking turns of the game among the sequence of the plurality of players which envisages the passage of the game to non-sequential and adjacent players, acquiring the game points obtained on the basis of the tiles acquired by a player from the plurality of players by a different player, exchanging the acquired tiles between players, said playing actions being activated when two tiles (1A) bearing the same indicators corresponding to each of said playing actions are identified.
 4. A memory game comprising a plurality of flat tiles (1, 1A) having a first face (2) bearing an indicator and adapted to be positioned in a playing surface with said first face facing said surface so as to conceal the indicators of said tiles to a plurality of players, said indicators corresponding to numbers, said numbers indicating how many tiles with the same indicator must be identified in the plurality of the tiles by subsequently turning them in the playing surface in order to be able to take these tiles with the same indicator from the playing surface and obtaining a game score, each group of tiles bearing the same indicator corresponding to a particular game score, said sequential turning being interrupted when two tiles turned consecutively have different indicators or when the number of tiles identified with the same indicator corresponds to the number represented by said indicator.
 5. A memory game according to claim 4, wherein said correspondence between the indicators and the numbers is evident or derives from game agreements.
 6. A memory game according to claim 5, wherein each indicator is a number or a plurality of elements corresponding to a number.
 7. A memory game according to claim 5, wherein the correspondence between the indicators and the numbers derive from agreements written by the game.
 8. A memory game according to claim 4, wherein pairs of tiles are provided which bear indicators on the way to play the game and relating to the modification of the order of participation in the game, that is to say of the direction chosen by the players (REVERSE), the acquisition by a player of the tiles taken from the playing surface (TAKE), the exchange of the collected tiles (SWAP) and the passage of the game to a different player (SKIP).
 9. A memory game according to claim 4, wherein the indicators on different tiles correspond to different game scores. 